Villarreal vs Valencia: Derby Day at La Cerámica as Yellow Submarine Look to Cement Third
Villarreal host Valencia in a tasty Valencian Community derby at La Cerámica in Matchday 25 of LaLiga EA Sports. Here's what you need to know.
Sunday night football in the Valencian Community — it doesn’t get much more local than this. Villarreal welcome Valencia to La Cerámica in what shapes up to be a proper derby with a fair bit riding on it for both sides.
The Big Picture
On paper, this looks like a comfortable night for the home side, but derbies have a funny way of throwing the formbook out the window. Villarreal are sitting pretty in third place on 48 points, while Valencia are down in 15th on 26 — just about keeping their heads above water in the relegation battle. Two clubs from the same region, worlds apart in the table right now.
Form and Head-to-Head
The recent history between these two is firmly in Villarreal’s favour, and the numbers back that up nicely:
- No defeat in their last four league meetings against Valencia (two wins, two draws)
- Scored in each of their last eight league encounters with Los Che — 11 goals in total across those games
- Eight home games unbeaten against Valencia in the top flight (six wins, two draws) — their best-ever run at La Cerámica against this particular opponent
That’s a record that’ll give the Yellow Submarine plenty of confidence going in.
How Villarreal Are Coming Into This
The Castellón side are in decent nick. They beat Levante 1-0 in a rearranged fixture midweek, and that clean sheet was significant — it ended a run of eight consecutive games where they’d conceded at least once. Keeping a blank sheet doesn’t sound glamorous, but it matters when you’re chasing Champions League football. They’ll want more of the same on Sunday.
How Valencia Are Coming Into This
Here’s the thing — Valencia also beat Levante recently, so they’re not completely on their uppers. But 26 points from 24 games is a grim return, and the gap to the bottom three isn’t exactly comfortable. They need points, and they need them now. A derby away at a side in European form is about as tough a test as it gets when you’re in their position. Brave faces all round at Mestalla this week, no doubt.
What’s at Stake
- Villarreal want to pull further clear of Real Betis (who drew with Rayo) and cement that Champions League spot
- Valencia desperately need to keep adding to their points tally to stay clear of the drop zone
- A proper Valencian Community derby atmosphere guaranteed at La Cerámica
When and Where
- Date: Sunday, 22 February
- Kick-off: 21:00 (CET)
- Venue: Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal
- TV: Movistar LaLiga holds the broadcast rights in Spain
All told, this is a game where the head says Villarreal, but the heart of every Valencia fan will be hoping for a smash-and-grab. Derby football, innit — anything can happen.